Computers and the Internet

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

Facebook announces that Aquila, unmanned drone that could eventually be integral part of aerial Internet network, is ready for testing after 14 months of development; drone is solar-powered and is intended to beam data through lasers; Facebook hopes system could be used to bring Internet access to remote areas. MORE

Jul. 30, 2015

American Museum of Natural History's education program BridgeUp: STEM, funded by late Cosmo magazine editor Helen Gurley Brown, combines computer science and science and is strictly for girls; first class, which just ended, offered high school girls chance to learn how to write computer code. MORE

Jul. 29, 2015

High demand for workers who can write computer code has spurred wave of career changes across nearly all industries; more workers are enrolling in short courses to learn coding, often at schools that specialize in accelerated digital training; strategy has allowed many to transition from low five-figure salaries to compensation in the six-figure range. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Memo From China; Chinese authorities are using broadened interpretation of law against 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' to crack down on those using Internet to criticize Communist government; law, once confined to physical activities and altercations, has expanded its reach into cyberspace. MORE

Jul. 26, 2015

Ashley Southall travel article highlights several online communities that cater to growing number of African-American travelers, many of them female, who have otherwise been ignored by tourism industry. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Pres Obama announces program to connect thousands of public housing residents nationwide to Internet at low cost, or free. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on Firefox's Pocket List; using Windows 10 with Google Chrome browser; Tip of the Week on MacBook laptops with multitouch trackpads. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

The Upshot; studies find that software and algorithms can reinforce human prejudices, as they adjust what they perform based on people's behavior; companies can regularly run simulations to test results of their algorithms in effort to identify discriminatory output. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Computer systems at New York Stock Exchange go down for almost four hours, halting all trading, only to go back online just before closing bell; disruption rattles investors and benchmark Standard & Poor's index ends day down 1.7 percent; halt in trading underscores degree to which computer technology has revolutionized trading and how automated systems that take care of jobs people once handled can sometimes be fragile. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Investors could still trade shares of companies listed on New York Stock Exchange, despite its lengthy stoppage for several hours, on so-called off-exchange markets. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

American youths are plugged in and tuned out of the real world for many more hours of the day than experts consider healthy for normal development. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Law enforcement authorities say manifesto written by Dylann Roof, suspect in massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, gives no evidence that anyone encouraged him to commit murder, but it does provide explicit snapshot of modern-day white supremacy; experts say Internet has made supremacist movement more anonymous, making it harder to track potentially violent participants. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Number of companies are introducing simple 'buy' buttons in order to capitalize on amount of time consumers spend browsing Internet on mobile phones; despite growing use of mobile, consumers are far more inclined to use desktop computers to make online purchases; buy buttons will allow companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to reap more benefits from mobile ad operations. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi's announcement of Digitial India campaign underscores fact that country has lagged behind rest of world in digital infrastructure, particularly in lack of progress in expanding fiber optic network; campaign aims to cut imports of electronics significantly and to provide all citizens with access to number of services digitally, although it is more statement of intent than set of policy proposals. MORE

Jun. 29, 2015

Op-Ed article by media columnist Michael Wolff documents surprising success of television industry despite disruptions from digital competitors; observes key factor is television's turn away from advertising revenue and toward fee- and subscription-based services; notes change has lessened power of ratings and led to era of high quality content; contends fee model is model of future, and digital world should pay attention. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

Gray Matter column by Prof Gary Marcus examines comparison between human brain and computer; suggests that neuroscientists use analogy not because it is perfect, but it is the most useful available. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

University of California researchers, reporting in journal Science, propose groundbreaking improvement to fiber optic technology that could theoretically double its information capacity; technology would allow lasers to travel far greater distances without the need for amplification, significantly reducing cost while increasing bandwidth; some scientists have expressed skepticism. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on updating Internet radio; editing Microsoft Word files in Dropbox; Tip of the Week on setting time limit features on children's computer accounts. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Gretchen Morgenson Fair Game column warns that a growing number of hot technology companies are skewing their financial reports by excluding costs associated with stock-based compensation, acquisitions and restructuring; observes that these doctored figures give investors a fantasy vision of company's health, and may be part of what is fueling exuberant inflation of tech stock values. MORE

Jun. 20, 2015

Paul Sullivan Wealth Matters column explores potential benefits and drawbacks of computer-generated advice for high-net-worth investors, noting that there is little consensus on effectiveness of so-called robo advisers. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Cuba is poised to increase Internet access, introducing some three dozen Wi-Fi hot spots around island and reducing steep fees; move comes as part of normalizing diplomatic relations with United States. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

James B Stewart Common Sense column observes that wave of European antitrust investigations into American tech giants may provide clues into why Continent's tech sector lags behind that of the United States; observes that Silicon Valley has always been marked by culture of entrepreneurial fearlessness that is relatively absent in Europe; cites structural barriers to innovation and an inhibiting fear of failure. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Chip makers and other Silicon Valley leaders scramble to renew lobbying push for the Trans Atlantic Partnership as previous optimism vanishes; executives have said that legislation is essential to protect intellectual property across the Pacific and to keep American companies from being squeezed out of essential markets. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

New generation of artists and designers is transforming outdated tech waste of 1980s and 90s into art and home decor. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Microsoft is making its new touch-screen computer Surface Hub in Wilsonville, Ore, because it is too big to cost-effectively build overseas; 84-inch screen will cost up to $20,000; most of its devices are assembled abroad. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on online access for independent bookstores; keeping computers cool and dry; Tip of the Week on quick tips for Apple and Microsoft software. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column addresses inefficiencies in the labor market that may be contributing to unemployment and underemployment, particularly in reference to poorly-conceived academic requirements; cites McKinsey study in calling for a new online jobs platform to better nurture talent that already exists but that might not be 'badged' with college degrees; argues that educational reform, and a new emphasis on vocational training, are important components. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Bill Wasik introduces Tech and Design issue focused on examining influence of American technologies on other cultures and their values, and how foreign cultures respond. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Changes wrought by high-tech terminology on languages around world are noted. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Daniel Kehlman describes experience of searching his own name on search engine Altavista in 1997, before practice became common and neurotic symptom of digital age. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Samanth Subramanian recounts using nascent Internet and email to assuage his homesickness and keep in contact with high school girlfriend after leaving India for college in United States in 1999. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Google and other innovators are working to realize dream of machine translation, or computers that can accurately and smoothly translate language; computer scientists emphasize accuracy over style and draw distinction between human and computer contributions to field, but some question where borders lie. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Jun. 7, 2015

Editorial praises proposal by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to expand phone subsidy program that will help poor people access high-speed Internet service, even though proposal may be too modest; discounts Republican lawmakers' objections about fraud in program, known as Lifeline. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

University of Pennsylvania study confirms what many critics had long suspected, that majority of Americans are unhappy trading their privacy for free online services, giveaways and discounts; study is likely to fuel debate between tech executives and federal regulators over whether consumers should be given more control over the information collected about them; charts illustrate attitudes about data mining. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

New York City Education Department unveils website NYC Schools, which will allow parents to view their children’s attendance, grades and standardized test scores; website replaces former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ARIS data system, which was far more expensive and hardly used by parents. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Republicans at Senate subcommittee hearing criticize plan by Federal Communications Commission to expand Lifeline program to subsidize broadband Internet access for poor Americans; do not dispute that program could help poor, but cite financial mismanagement and fraud within current program. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Broadband service is centerpiece of Charter Communications' $67.1 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, deal that highlights how Internet access has emerged as preeminent component of cable packages; company hopes it can entice regulators by introducing more competitive broadband prices and services, shift that also reflects changing habits of American viewers who increasingly get their entertainment online. MORE

May. 27, 2015

News Analysis; Charter Communications stands chance of gaining regulatory approval for its acquisition of Time Warner Cable, which was denied to Comcast earlier in year; key difference is fact that Charter's new company would control only 30 percent of nation's broadband internet market, far less than the 57 percent that Comcast stood to control had its deal gone through. MORE

May. 25, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column questions why technology boom spanning four decades has, except for period in 1990s, largely failed to drive economic growth in United States; submits data may be failing to record some kinds of growth, or most new technologies may not be aimed at sweeping change; contends hype surrounding technology may prove damaging in long run, and calls for its curtailment. MORE

May. 25, 2015

Software developers and others in Silicon Valley are increasingly turning to liquid meal substitutes that allow them to continue working without having to stop to eat; brands like Schmoylent, Soylent, Schmilk and People Chow are struggling to fulfill demand, with some engineers finding themselves on wait lists for the protein-packed, supplement-enhanced powdered drinks. MORE

Popular series like Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat sell well across all platforms. Digital game sales include full game downloads, micro-transactions and add-ons. Revenue was up across all categories in 2014, except for MMO’s (massive multiplayer online games), which fell slightly but generated almost $11 billion.

Three-quarters of owners use their tablets to surf the web “in a typical week,” according to the consumer panel polled by Experian Marketing Services, and more than half send email or visit social media sites.